Recasting Star Wars Original Trilogy

Happy Cinco de Mayo Star Wars Fans! I am continuing my Star Wars recasting today by imagining a world where Episodes I – III came out in the 70s and 80s and Episodes IV – VI came out at the turn of the century. Today we tackle 1999’s version of A New Hope, 2002’s version of Empire Strikes Back and 2005’s version of Return of the Jedi.

So obviously we need to do a bit of recasting for our heroes. I’m going to keep Mel Gibson as Obi-Wan Kenobi for continuities' sake. Like yesterday, I am not recasting droids or masks or Palpatine. Therefore, I just need to cast the big three (Luke, Leia, Han) and Lando and maybe one more.

I’m going to say, upfront, that none of this was easy. People have a strong image of Mark, Carrie, and Harrison in their heads as these characters, so as the actors change, the characters will inevitably change.

Let’s star with Luke, shall we? I’m going to be a little controversial here. Mark Hamill plays a fine Luke Skywalker, but Uncle George could have probably made a better casting decision. Case and point- Mark Hamill has done nothing of consequence since Star Wars. Luke is a hero, but an unconventional one. He is sort of a whiney (like Hayden Christianson)- He wants to go to the Toshe station to pick up some power converters- a little annoying to say the least. So for 90s Luke I have chosen someone a little bulkier, a hero you can really stand behind, someone more… likable.

I’m not going to lie, A Knights Tale is a guilty pleasure of mine and Mr. Heath Ledger is amazing. He has the blonde, flowing Skywalker hair. He probably would have been a great Anakin. So for 90s Luke, I’m picking Ledger. Ledger was an amazing actor that was taken from the world too soon and I want him as my Luke. I defy you to find a 90s teen that would do a better job.

Next up! Princess Leia. Now, I’m not going to say anything negative about Carrie Fisher. She isn’t known for anything other than Star Wars, but she was the perfect Princess Leia. She is a great tough-girl role model for little girls everywhere. But by 1999 she was too old and pudgy for the role. So we need to recast her.

 Keri Russell is my choice for Princess Leia Organa. She starred in J.J. Abram’s “Felicity” and this summer’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”. Keri Russell is a badass (a very attractive badass) and would play a perfect intergalactic princess.

Which brings us to Han Solo. I’m not going to lie- Harrison Ford is Han Solo and vice versa. Han or Indiana Jones would not be the same without Ford. But many people said that James Bond would never be the same without Sean Connery, so I guess we have to be a little open minded with this one. I think the closest thing we could get to a Harrison Ford imitation might be Josh Holloway (Sawyer from Lost) or Matthew McConaughey. Both would have been too young to play Captain Solo in 1999. But instead of trying to imitate Ford, I want to reimagine Solo’s character.

I’m gonna go with Sean Bean for the part of Han Solo. You may remember him as Boromir in LOTR or Edard Stark in GOT. Bean doesn’t much resemble Han Solo, but in my alternate universe Han Solo could have resembled Sean Bean. Let’s admit it, Han was a little too clean shaven for a smuggler / pirate who hangs out with a wookiee all day. Sean Bean’s a little scruffier, a little grimier, and a little edgier than Ford. It takes a little bit of creativity to reimagine Bean as Captain Solo, but I’m almost positive he could have pulled it off.

Lando Calrissian is one charming dude. If Star Wars were made today, I’d nominate Will Smith for the part. But since my Empire Strikes back releases in 2001, Will Smith is way too young for the role. I’m going with Wesley Snipes. The Blade films were very popular at the turn of the century and Snipes had just enough charm to pull off Calrissian.

Well that’s the Big 4, but there is still one more important character that I can’t help but recast. Grand Moff Tarkin was a huge part of the first Star Wars film. Peter Cushing was a legendary British actor and his character stood toe-to-toe with Vader. It was obvious that he, not Vader, was in charge. So we need an equally legendary actor for our 1999 version of Grand Moff Tarkin. I don’t know about you, but this one seems obvious to me. Ian McKellen is a brilliant Magneto and Gandalf. It makes me sad inside to know that I will never see Mr. McKellen’s version of Tarkin. I know that it would have been epic.

Tomorrow is Revenge of the Sixth, the final day of my Star Wars celebrations in which I will be recasting the Expanded Universe. Interested in my picks for Mara Jade, Jaina & Jacen Solo or Ben Skywalker? Check back tomorrow!

May the 4th Specials

2020 - 40 Ways to Strike Back
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2020/05/40-ways-to-strike-back.html

2019 - 151 Star Wars Aliens
https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2019/05/151-aliens-how-many-do-you-know.html

2018 - Star Wars Polls
Movie Polls -https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/05/star-wars-polls.html
Character Polls - https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/05/more-polls-characters.html
Expanded Universe Polls- https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-polls-that-define-us.html

2017 -  40 Years of Fandom https://roadto7.blogspot.com/2017/05/40-years-of-fandom.html

2015 -Genre-Bending the Original Trilogy
Samurai New Hope- http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-new-hope-as-samurai-film.html
Western Empire Strikes Back - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-empire-strikes-west.html
Pirate Return of the Jedi - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2015/05/return-of-jedi-as-pirate-film.html

2014 - Recasting Star Wars
Prequel Trilogy 70s Casting - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/05/recasting-trilogy.html
Original Trilogy 90s Casting - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/05/recasting-star-wars-original-trilogy.html
Sequel Trilogy Casting- http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/05/recasting-trilogy.html

2013 -  The Prequels Rewritten: A Fanfic
Episode I - The Saga Begins - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-fourth-trilogy-re-written.html
Episode II - The Clone War - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-mayo-be-with-you-episode-ii.html

Episode III - Rise of the Sith - http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/05/episode-iii-remake-rise-of-sith.html